The Seafood Guide


"The Ocean drives the way the planet works. If the ocean is in trouble, our future is in trouble"

Sylvia Earle
- Leading Marine Biologist
Throughout history man has considered the ocean's resources limitless. The basis of this belief can be grasped when looking at the above photo. However, though vast, the ocean's resources are not limitless. As fish stocks are depleted, such catches are becoming more rare. Here a seiner in the Pacific hauls aboard a 200 ton set of mackerel.
Photo by William McCloskey, from "Wildlife Conservation" magazine.

          As a consumer, your choices carry a tremendous effect on the future of many ocean inhabitants. The list that we have chosen is the Seafood Watch Chart, which is endorsed and followed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The list was compiled primarily through: The list is updated frequently as the aquarium receives new data. TheGreenCommunity.org will follow any changes, and present them here. For further details, please visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium website.

          The National Audubon Society Living Oceans Program also publishes a seafood guide. The guide is compiled by Carl Safina, PhD, and is titled "What's a Fish Lover to Eat?" You can find additional information at Sea Web and the Marine Stewardship Council. The MSC is responsible for certifying that seafood comes from sustainable fisheries. It's Environmental Defense section indicates which choices are good and which are better to avoid. Finally, the Sea Turtle Restoration Project lets consumers know which shrimp has been caught without endangering sea turtles.


Please Avoid Buying!

  1. Bluefin Tuna - For more information on the bluefin, see our Spotlight on Bluefin Tuna article.
  2. Chilean Seabass / Patagonian Toothfish - This species is OVERFISHED due to lack of regulation and their slow growth pattern. In fact, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, in 1988 ten times the legal catch was taken. They are found in Patagonian and Antarctic waters.
  3. Atlantic Cod - This species is OVERFISHED to DEPLETED. Factors such as destruction of habitat and poor management have disrupted fishing in their North Atlantic home. According to The Audubon Guide to Seafood "After several decades of overfishing and mismanagement, their collapse probably ranks as the world's greatest fishery - management disaster." The level of bycatch (other species unintentionally caught) is high.
  4. Lingcod - This species is FULLY FISHED to DEPLETED. Lingcod are found off the west coast of North America and quite simply are in danger due to extreme overfishing.
  5. Monkfish - This species is OVERFISHED to DEPLETED. Commonly found in New England and mid Atlantic waters, this fish was often caught along with cod. Because of the cod's steady decline, monkfish gained in popularity as a food source. This species also has a high level of bycatch.
  6. Orange Roughy - This species is OVERFISHED to DEPLETED. Orange roughy, found in the deep waters of New Zealand and Australia grow very slowly. An orange roughy takes 20 years to reach maturity and can live to 100 years old or more. The age range of "market-sized" fish is approximately 50-80 years old. According to "The Audubon Guide to Seafood", "The trawls used to catch orange roughys cause serious damage to ocean habitats."
  7. Rockfish / Pacific Red Snapper / Rock Cod - This species is fully fished to OVERFISHED to DEPLETED. Thee fish are found off the coasts of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California. Rockfish (more than 60 species) also grow very slowly and thus, cannot take the pressures of overfishing. One problem with catching rockfish (off Alaska) is that the more plentiful species share the same habitats as the less plentiful and both are caught simultaneously.
  8. Sablefish / Butterfish / Black Cod - This species is fully fished to OVERFISHED. These fish live in waters off the west coast of North America and have been declining steadily since the 1980's.
  9. Salmon (Farmed) - Wild salmon are plentiful and healthy in Alaska. Both Alaskan wild and California wild salmon come from well-regulated, and sustainable fisheries. "Wild salmon from Washington and Oregon include some healthy and some overfished populations" according to Monterey Bay Aquarium. But - Farmed Salmon are a poor choice for a several reasons:
    • Salmon raised in ocean pens introduce disease and feces into the water which can adversely effect wild salmon.
    • Farmed salmon may instigate the destruction of seals looking for a meal around the farm area.
    • Salmon which escape from the farming facilities can cause problems for the wild ones.
  10. Sea Scallops - This species is OVERFISHED on the east coast of North America. The level of bycatch is high because dredging is how scallops are caught. Dredging destroys the ocean's bottom habitats and picks up many other species.
  11. Shark (All types) - Sharks are found world wide and they reproduce at a slow rate. This makes it harder for them to withstand the pressures of overfishing. Sharks are often killed for their fins, which are used in shark-fin soup. In China this soup is sold for $90.00 a bowl. The rest of the shark is unused, after the fins are hacked off the carcase is dumped back into the sea. Millions of sharks, even Great White Sharks, are killed as bycatch; and conversely, longlines or gill nets used specifically to capture sharks, kill other endangered species such as marine mammals and sea turtles.
  12. Shrimp / Prawns (wild-caught or farmed) / Spot Prawns (Trawl-caught) - These species are found mainly in tropical areas. The problem with farmed shrimp is that the farms are built by destroying coastal habitats such as mangrove forests. Wild shrimp and other species are dependant on these areas for survival. Wild caught shrimp / prawns have a very high level of bycatch. According to the national Audubon Society guidelines, "For every pound of shrimp you buy, an average of seven pounds of other sea life was killed and shoveled overboard."
  13. Swordfish - This fish is found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. In the Atlantic it is OVERFISHED to DEPLETED. Swordfish in the Pacific ocean are fully fished and their population in the Indian ocean is uncertain. Like other species, swordfish have a slow reproduction rate. The Montereey Bay Aquarium states "The average swordfish caught in the North Atlantic weighs just 90lbs, compared to over 200lbs in the 1960's." The high level of bycatch associated with swordfish in all three oceans continues to cause concern.
In summary:
PLEASE AVOID:
  1. Bluefin Tuna
  2. Chilean Seabass / Patagonian Toothfish
  3. Atlantic Cod
  4. Lingcod
  5. Monkfish
  6. Orange Roughy
  7. Rockfish / Pacific Red Snapper / Rock Cod
  8. Sablefish / Butterfish / Black Cod
  9. Salmon (Farmed)
  10. Sea Scallops
  11. Shark (All types)
  12. Shrimp / Prawns (wild-caught or farmed) / Spot Prawns (Trawl-caught)
  13. Swordfish



Proceed with Caution!

          Seafood in this category may or may not be the best choices. It all depends on how or where they are caught. The Monterey Bay Aquarium continues to monitor these populations and check the origins of the catch prior to purchase. It is recommended that you do the same.
  1. American Lobster - Populations healing / little bycatch.
  2. Bay Scallops - From Massachusetts, populations healthy.
  3. Bay Shrimp (Pacific Pink Shrimp) - Population healthy (looking into bycatch)
  4. English / Petrale Sole - Population healthy (looking into bycatch)
  5. Imitation Crab Surimi (Pollock) - Is heavy fishing taking too much food away from the already endangered Stellar's sea lion? (note: personally, we at TheGreenCommunity.org have already stopped purchasing this seafood).
  6. Salmon from Washington / Oregon - Some populations healthy, some not.
  7. Snow Crab - This fishery may be closed completely in 2001 to allow the population to recover. It should recover quickly.
  8. Turtle Safe® Shrimp / Prawns - Populations which have been checked by the Sea Turtle Restoration Project. (Sea turtles can escape from the nets used to catch this seafood). Bycatch of other species is still an issue.
  9. Spot Prawns (TRAP CAUGHT ONLY) - Trawls used in spot prawn capture are not well regulated. There are overfishing concerns.
  10. Yellowfin Tuna / Aki (HAWAII LINE-CAUGHT) - Population healthy and Hawaii longline bycatch is very low. Bycatch in other areas may be much higher.

Best Choices!
  1. Albacore / Tombo tuna (Pacific)
  2. Calamari / Squid (Pacific)
  3. Catfish (farmed)
  4. Clams (farmed)
  5. Dungeness crab
  6. Halibut (Alaska)
  7. Mahi-mahi / Dolphinfish / Dorado
  8. Mussels (farmed)
  9. New Zealand coa / Hoki
  10. Oysters (farmed)
  11. Rainbow trout (farmed)
  12. Salmon (California / Alaska, wild-caught)
  13. Stiped bass (farmed)
  14. Sturgeon (farmed)
  15. Tilapia (farmed)



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